In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : When did the Habs lose "an actual goal"? You knew watching at home that it clearly wouldn't count as the whistle blew the play dead well before Gionta tapped it in. TT heard the whistle too so why would he keep searching for the puck after the play is dead?Posted by dezaruchi

So blowing the play dead...with no traffic anywhere near Thomas when he clearly didn't have possession of the puck...wasn't as terrible as the litany of calls that Bruins fans have been moaning about? Of course it was: had that happened to the Bruins, we'd have 143 threads screaming "OMG TEH MONTREAL REFS!!!!1!1!!!!!!!!!". And don't write TT a pass on that play: the puck didn't go in the net because he gave up on the play: he was mystified by the location of the puck and made a rare, rare misplay with it.

Look: my point wasn't that the game was well-called. It was terribly called--by far the poorest display of officiating in the 6 games. But it was terribly called both ways, and not every call was wrong. That's what some Bruins fans seem to be missing here when revising recent history. Case in point: Lucic's rant about how "marginal calls" led to Habs goals is flat out wrong. None of those 4 calls were marginal; in fact, every one was obvious (even though they over-reacted on Lucic's hit, he still deserved at least 2 mins, and as pointed out, would have been in the box when Gionta scored).

As for tonight, it's one game and I don't expect it to be as horribly officiated as tonight's game was. I also don't expect Boston to continue to be 0-fer on the power play. I think Boston will in all likliehood win the game, but I thought that in 2004, too....we'll see.

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : So blowing the play dead...with no traffic anywhere near Thomas when he clearly didn't have possession of the puck...wasn't as terrible as the litany of calls that Bruins fans have been moaning about? Of course it was: had that happened to the Bruins, we'd have 143 threads screaming "OMG TEH MONTREAL REFS!!!!1!1!!!!!!!!!". And don't write TT a pass on that play: the puck didn't go in the net because he gave up on the play: he was mystified by the location of the puck and made a rare, rare misplay with it. Look: my point wasn't that the game was well-called. It was terribly called--by far the poorest display of officiating in the 6 games. But it was terribly called both ways, and not every call was wrong. That's what some Bruins fans seem to be missing here when revising recent history. Case in point: Lucic's rant about how "marginal calls" led to Habs goals is flat out wrong. None of those 4 calls were marginal; in fact, every one was obvious (even though they over-reacted on Lucic's hit, he still deserved at least 2 mins, and as pointed out, would have been in the box when Gionta scored). As for tonight, it's one game and I don't expect it to be as horribly officiated as tonight's game was. I also don't expect Boston to continue to be 0-fer on the power play. I think Boston will in all likliehood win the game, but I thought that in 2004, too....we'll see.Posted by Kennedy97

No doubt this game probably won't be as poorly officiated.Chris Lee and I actually grew up and played hockey togethe(I'm torn about giving him a hard time about his performance). Bottom line,let's hope the players get to decide game 7.Nobody likes talking about the refs(good or bad)after a series is over.BTW,the Lucic call wasn't "marginal" at all.NO PENALTY SHOULD'VE BEEN CALLED ON THE PLAY! If Lucic wasn't penalized,Bergeron wouldn't have needed to attempt to clear the puck down the ice.You can act like Montreal deserved both 5 on 3's all you want to. That still doesn't make it so. Like I said Kennedy,let's hope the players decide tonight because winning or losing isn't as fun if it's surrounded by controversy.I(insincerely)wish you good luck tonight.Cheers!

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : Wrong. 1st 5x3: -Too many men called when the Bruins had 6 men on the ice, and McQuaid touched the puck. Sucks, but that's the rule. THEN a slash that broke the Canadiens player's stick was called. Again...sucks, but that is the rule as well. Neither call was marginal. 2nd 5x3 -Lucic unfairly kicked out of the game...what he should have received is debatable, but for sake of argument, let's say he deserves 2 mins. The "puck over glass" call is one of the rules I hate the most in the NHL, but is unarguable. Gionta scored less than 2 minutes into the Lucic penalty, so regardless of whether he gets a major or not, it's still a 5x3 and MTL still scores. Again, neither call was marginal.....unless you think Lucic hit deserved no penalty at all. And nobody is that silly. The Habs, I remind you, lost an actual goal in the 1st period on a terrible call. Officials were poor tonight: both ways. They weren't why Boston lost. One goal for and a brutal PP was why Boston lost.Posted by Kennedy97

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games :Nobody likes talking about the refs(good or bad)after a series is over.BTW,the Lucic call wasn't "marginal" at all.NO PENALTY SHOULD'VE BEEN CALLED ON THE PLAY!Posted by dezaruchi

Lucic's hit was totally clean? I'm curious how you can justify that. Spacek didn't "initiate contact with his back" (which negates checking from behind, although the call here was boarding). And by rule, it is the responsibility of the player making the check (Lucic) to make sure the opponent is not in a vulnerable position (which Spacek was, 2-3 feet from the boards, dumping the puck in from his left side). Spacek didn't put himself in a vulnerable position more than Lucic created the vulneability with the hit.

Disagreeing with a major, I get....although I see why it was (if the hit results in an injury to the head, a game misconduct must be imposed...there's no choice there) Spacek was cut, so I suppose by letter of the law that is the ruling, but I don't think that's the spirit of the rule at all, and I don't think it should have been applied that way. I'd have been fine with 2 minutes, as the cut / blood was minor.

But nothing at all? Just don't see how by rule that could have been justified.

kennedy...spacek was skating parallel to the boards- with a shoulder to lucic, looked up, saw him coming...and turned his back to the hit. how is that the hitters fault. spacek could have taken a clean hit, he chose to put himself in danger, to get a man advantage- well it worked, the refs bit. can you say patch or etty hangover? curious, what is your take on the canadiens ability to recover from near death hits, in miraculous fashion. something in the drinking water? what about eller, price? there's a pattern here you see.

kennedy...spacek was skating parallel to the boards- with a shoulder to lucic, looked up, saw him coming...and turned his back to the hit. Posted by adkbeesfan

He had .3 seconds from the puck leaving his stick to the contact. Lucic came from slightly ahead of Spacek. What was he supposed to do, turn himself transparent? Or should he just ignore the laws of physics, go against the follow through of the hockey play, and in .3 seconds speed up to avoid the hit?

The rule is very clear: the attacking player has to make sure that the opponent is not in a vulnerable position. While the defending player can not put himself in a vulnerable position, given the reality of the situation combined with speed, time, space and physics, it's painfully obvious who was more responsible here, and that was Lucic. It's a no-doubter as a boarding call.

sure if you believe the canadiens aren't embellishing calls. he sacrificed himself hoping to get a call. spacek put himself in that spot. was he really that hurt too? he was back on the bench 15 real-time minutes later... excuse us for being a little skeptical of his intentions. one minute he's dead, the next...it's a miracle!

sure if you believe the canadiens aren't embellishing calls. he sacrificed himself hoping to get a call. spacek put himself in that spot. was he really that hurt too? he was back on the bench 15 real-time minutes later... excuse us for being a little skeptical of his intentions. one minute he's dead, the next...it's a miracle! Posted by adkbeesfan

It's not the issue. I do believe that some of the Habs have embellished calls. I also believe Michael Ryder did the same thing last night when he went down like his legs were sawed off despite minimal contact, right before Carey Price dropped like a shot after he got grazed. It's happening a lot--too much for my tastes. But then again, I've been watching hockey for 30 years, and in the playoffs, I've seen guys get crushed, go to the room, and come back and play about 100 times, so I don't know what Spacek was trying to do. Had it been a Bruin, I'm sure we'd be praising his guts and courage in coming back from a crunching (and dirty--it would sure be dirty if a Bruin was the recipient) hit.

But that, of course, is not the point of this discussion. The point is whether or not the Lucic hit was LEGAL in the first place--not whether Spacek embellished it, NOT what his intentions were....not anything but Lucic's actions.

Given the evidence, it's impossible to seriously make the claim that the responsibility was Spacek's, unless you intentionally want to ignore the obvious (.3 seconds, Lucic coming in from the front left, etc). And that's clearly what you're doung.

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : And don't write TT a pass on that play: the puck didn't go in the net because he gave up on the play: he was mystified by the location of the puck and made a rare, rare misplay with it.

You clearly don't watch Thomas 82 games a year. Nothing "rare, rare" about that misplay.

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : BTW,the Lucic call wasn't "marginal" at all.NO PENALTY SHOULD'VE BEEN CALLED ON THE PLAY! Posted by dezaruchi

Dez, I agree with you more times than not, but I'll have to disagree twice here. Thomas clearly lost sight of the puck and thought he had it. He and the B's were saved on a horrendous call by the ref who also lost sight of it. It happens.

And the Lucic call not a penalty? Come on. Certainly not a major, certainly drama-queened by the Hab, but without question a check from behind minor.

In Response to Re: Carey Price has 0-7 record in last 7 home playoff games : Dez, I agree with you more times than not, but I'll have to disagree twice here. Thomas clearly lost sight of the puck and thought he had it. He and the B's were saved on a horrendous call by the ref who also lost sight of it. It happens. And the Lucic call not a penalty? Come on. Certainly not a major, certainly drama-queened by the Hab, but without question a check from behind minor.Posted by SoxFanInIL

Several NHL'ers have gone on record as having a different view than you.